Oral brushing devices and/or methods

ABSTRACT

An oral hygiene device having one or more toothbrushes connected or connectible to the end of a handle, the one or more toothbrushes providing a desirable fit about the teeth and/or gums and/or providing a desirable brushing action. An oral hygiene device hereof may provide for mechanically providing the brushing movements of the professionally recommended manual tooth-brushing method known as the “Bass” or “Modified Bass” technique to thus reduce or eliminate the element of human error associated with the brushing of a user&#39;s teeth and gums.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation from U.S. application Ser. No.11/223,365, which claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 60/609,093, filed Sep. 9, 2004, and which claimed the benefit ofU.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 10/357,564, filed Feb. 5, 2003which itself claimed the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Nos.60/385,366, filed Jun. 3, 2002; 60/403,915 filed Aug. 15, 2002 and60/409,760 filed Sep. 10, 2002. The specifications and drawings of allof which prior applications herein being incorporated by this referencefor all that they teach and suggest.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to oral cleansing devices andmore particularly to power driven tooth and/or gum brushing devices, andalso relates, in many embodiments, to a system for using or moving oneor more cleaning or brushing heads during a cleaning procedure. This maycommonly include providing reciprocal cleaning head movement.Particularly useful herewith may be one or more toothbrush or likearrangements which assist in orienting and guiding the cleansing headswithin the user's mouth to provide proper cleansing and stimulation tothereby produce healthy teeth and gums.

A large proportion of the adult population suffers from some form of gumdisease which in turn can and often does lead to tooth loss. Animportant cause of gum disease is inadequate gum brushing and massage.And, in response, a diverse array of manual and automated toothcleansing devices have been developed including electric toothbrushes,oral irrigators and automated flossers. These have been generallydirected at the important basic need to clean the teeth, gums andcertain parts or the whole of the mouth area. Nonetheless, manydeficiencies remain with various of these devices, and for many peopleand in many situations, they are inadequate or unsuitable. Manualbrushes, for instance, require the user to have a minimum, moderatedegree of manual dexterity and the ability to firmly grasp the brushwhile moving it against the dental surfaces. The tiresomeness,repetitiveness and difficulty of and/or the relative disinterestednessof many people with manual brushing leads many to do less than isnecessary, often also using inappropriate brushing methods. And thus,some tooth and gum surfaces may receive inadequate brushing or may bemissed altogether.

Furthermore, conventional electric or “power” toothbrushes, while oftenrequiring less physical effort on the part of the user, still generallyrequire human skill and dexterity, i.e., accurate human manipulation inorder to achieve effective disease preventing results. And, these powerbrushes are often more complicated than manual brushes and are moreexpensive and require more time in maintenance. Moreover, brushing toovigorously with electric brushes can irritate the gums or cause them tobleed excessively, possibly injuring the gums or eventually causing themto recede.

Thus, present means of tooth and gum brushing or cleaning may beinadequate for many or even most users. Many prior means and methods arenot readily capable of effective operation; hygienic, comfortable,and/or error-free use; simple and inexpensive maintenance; with acost-effective purchase price, for most people in most situations. Thus,there is a need for an improved cleaning device to fill one or more ofthese needs.

The present invention is presented as a means to remedy one or more ofthe above-mentioned drawbacks of past devices and/or methods with theprovision of a dental care device which offers effective means of dentalcare for people of all ages, including those with natural teeth orimplants, crowns, braces and bridgework, as well as for people oflimited dexterity, or having other handicaps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a dental cleaning appliance for cleaningteeth and gums, the appliance having one or more cleaning heads whichare insertable into the user's mouth for the cleaning operation, thecleaning head or heads being attached to a power handle which activatesmovement of the cleaning head or heads which each may include one ormore brushing heads and one or more brushing arms, the one or morebrushing heads being reciprocable in many embodiments, and also beingdisposed so as to include in further embodiments a set of upper brushesand a set of lower brushes, each of said sets of upper and lower brushesoften being reciprocable in alternating opposing dispositions relativeto each other. Such brush heads may also be used to definitivelyestablish the position of the brushes in the user's mouth and maintainthis position so that the bristles may effectively work on the tooth andgum surfaces and/or at the gum line (or elsewhere, if desired) as may bemost appropriate for cleaning and improving oral health.

Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an oralcleaning device including one or more brushes or other cleaning deviceswhich may be positioned by a cleansing head in a substantiallypre-selected position for cleaning and massaging of the user's teeth andgums. Another aspect of the present invention may be to provide an oralcleaning device including one or more brushes which are disposed in, onor adjacent a brush head assembly such that the bristles may beaccurately positioned by or with assistance of the brush head assemblyin a pre-selected disposition to provide for accurate brushing, cleaningand massaging of the user's teeth and gums. And yet another aspect ofthe present invention may be to provide a device in which one or morebrushes may be moved such that the brushes selectively move with thecleansing head to activate the tooth and gum cleansing process with amoving bristle pattern (direction and angle) meeting the needs of a userwhile substantially eliminating human error. A further aspect may be inproviding an oral hygiene device which provides for mechanicallymimicking the brushing movements of the most widely professionallyrecommended manual tooth-brushing method known as the “Bass” or“Modified Bass” technique, to thus reduce or eliminate an element ofhuman error associated with brushing of a user's teeth and gums.

These and still further aspects as shall hereinafter appear are readilyfulfilled by the present invention in a remarkably unexpected manner aswill be readily discerned from the following detailed description ofexemplary embodiments hereof especially when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which like parts bear like numeralsthroughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an oral cleaning device described herein;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a cut-away portion of an oral cleaningdevice as described herein;

FIG. 3, which includes subpart FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 3E, providesrespective isometric and elevational views of exemplary brushes for useas part of an oral cleaning device or system as described herein;

FIG. 4, which includes subpart FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, provides respectiveelevational and plan views of exemplary brushes as they may be in useaccording hereto;

FIG. 5, which includes subpart FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, provides elevationalviews of exemplary brushes as they may be in use according hereto;

FIG. 6, which includes subpart FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, 6E and 6F, providesrespective isometric individual part and/or exploded views of a brushassembly of an oral cleaning device like those in FIGS. 1-5;

FIG. 7, which includes subpart FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C, provides respectivecut-away isometric and elevational views of exemplary oral cleaningdevices according hereto;

FIG. 8, which includes subpart FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C, provides respectiveisometric views of exemplary interior components of a device accordinghereto;

FIG. 9, which includes subpart FIGS. 9A, 9B and 9C, provides respectiveisometric views of an oral cleaning device/system and/or accessorieshereof;

FIG. 10 is a collection, which includes subpart FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10C and10D, of elevation, plan and isometric views of alternative brushassemblies for use with an oral cleaning device/system also accordinghereto; and,

FIG. 11, which includes subpart FIGS. 1A and 1B, provides respectiveelevational views of exemplary alternative brushes according hereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates in various embodiments to the provision ofa new and useful, substantially automated oral cleaning device includingunique coactive assemblages of distinct sub-assemblies which will bedescribed herein in some detail. More particularly, the presentinvention is directed to a plurality of elements which when consideredas one or more ensembles, may provide comprehensive attainment and/ormaintenance of oral cleanliness. Of these, there are several primaryfeatures; among which are a variety of brush heads and brush headarrangements.

Now in more detail, though first in a relative macroscopic view; asshown at least initially in FIGS. 1 and 2, an exemplary automated toothand/or gum cleaning device 20 hereof generally includes a control handleor module 21 and one or more cleaning head arrangement(s), hereingenerally referred to in the initial embodiments as respective cleaninghead assemblies 26 and/or 27. These respective cleaning or brush headassemblies 26 and/or 27 are shown in these embodiments positioningrespective brushes, e.g. brushes 26 a, 26 b (see FIG. 3, et al.) and thebrush bristles 34, 35 thereof in operative dispositions, typically in amultiple directional fashion as described further below. The controlhandle 21 may then also include one or more control assemblies 24 (seeFIG. 2) within its structural housing 23 to provide for either securelyholding the brushes or for moving or driving a brush action to and/orthrough the brush head assemblies 26, 27 for cleaning and massaging ofthe user's teeth and gums. In use, the toothbrush assemblages 26, 27hereof may provide a totality of brushing, cleaning and massaging of theuser's teeth and gums.

A handle 21 may then also include a connection configuration 25 whichprovides for connection of the one or more brush assemblies 26, 27 tothe control handle 21. This connection may generally involve a shaft orshafts 22, two shafts being shown here, namely, shaft 22 a in therelative top position, and shaft 22 b in the relative bottom position(see FIG. 2, inter alia), these shafts 22 stemming or emerging from thehousing structure 23 of the handle 21, and then connecting to the brushassemblies 26, 27. Further details of brush mounting to/on a handlesupport assembly are shown and described below in particular relation toFIG. 6. Also as described in further detail below, the brushes may bemade to be replaceable or interchangeable when and/or if desired andthus removably mountable on respective shaft(s) 22.

The action of the brushes or brush assemblies 26, 27 may be manuallymaneuvered or activated, or may more often and/or more generally bedriven by a control assembly or assemblies 24, as by a motor (see motor44 in FIG. 2) and/or a mechanical system (see system 45, FIG. 2). And,either of these actions may be delivered with either a relatively fixeddisposition of the brush arms and/or brush heads relative to each other,or as is further described herein for the primary embodiments hereof,the brush arms and/or heads may be reciprocated in and out alternatelyand/or in opposition to each other (see FIG. 4B, inter alia). The brushheads may then reach the teeth and gums in a desirable fashion as shownin and described relative to FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C to thereby brush awayplaque and/or debris lodged in and/or between the teeth, and/or providea vital massage of the gums, particularly adjacent the teeth. And as isfurther shown and described hereinbelow (see FIG. 7), such a motor 44may be activated to provide movement to a mechanical system 45 which inturn provides movement, via the shafts 22, to the brush assemblies 26,27. As mentioned above and as will be shown and described further below,the provision of reciprocatable linear movement into and out of the oralcavity proficiently cleans the teeth and/or gums and also provides forreaching the rear most teeth as well as all of those in between.

As initially shown in FIG. 1, but, also in more detail in FIG. 3(cumulatively including each of FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 3E), eachdevice 20 may include one or more brush or other cleaning headassemblies, here shown as brush assemblies 26, 27, which each mayinclude one or more brushes, here see the brushes 26 a, 26 b of a brushassembly 26 in FIG. 3, each such brush 26 a, 26 b having respectivebrush arms 28 a, 28 b and brush heads 30 a, 30 b. The brush heads, e.g.,heads 30 a, 30 b, may then be disposed such that adjacent brushes orsets of bristles may be used simultaneously during a brushing action.Combining multiple sets of brushing actions may provide bettersimulation or replacement of interproximal brushing, flossing, and/orperiod picking and/or using proxy brushes.

The brushes are in many embodiments, see e.g., brushes 26 a, 26 b,disposed such that the brush heads, e.g., heads 30 a, 30 b, are disposedin or have portions thereof predisposed in a preselected angulardisposition to appropriately impact the teeth and gums, the intersectionthereof and/or any gaps therebetween at the desired location, height,and width thereof. As such, the heads 30 a, 30 b may have respectivehead portions, namely, side portions 36 a, and crown portions 36 b.These brushes 26 a, 26 b can then contact the teeth from one or allsides of an array of teeth 50, see e.g. the outside or cheek or bucalside 51 toward the other side, e.g., the inside and/or tongue or lingualside 52 of an array of teeth 50 and/or the crown or occlusial side 550as shown for example in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C.

The side portions 36 a and crown portions 36 b of the heads 30 a, 30 bmay thus be disposed to have the bristles 34, 35 disposed in an angulardisposition, see angle .theta. in FIG. 4A which may thereby provide adesirable cleaning action on the respective side surfaces of the teethwith which the tips of the bristles 34, 35 may more effectively comeinto contact. As shown in FIG. 4A, the bristles 34, 35 are shown angleddownward to provide a potentially desirable impact of the bristles 34,35 with the gum line intersection of respective gums 58, 59 with a tooth56. This may include an angle .theta. at approximately a 45 degree angle(plus or minus) for the side bristles in accordance with the AmericanDental Association (ADA) recommended Bass or modified Bass technique,moreover, also according to this technique, a quantity of bristles maybe disposed on or impact with the teeth (as for example approximatelyone-half in some embodiments) and another quantity of bristles on or incontact with the gums (in some cases as much as one-half the bristles).The crown bristles shown in FIGS. 3D, 3E and 4A may also be angularlydisposed, though perhaps not at the approximate 45 degrees as those onthe side (rather, more like a larger angle relative to the horizontal orsmaller relative to the vertical orientation shown in the drawings).

It may also be desirable to provide an interaction of long bristles 34of brushes such as brushes 26 a, 26 b particularly so as tosubstantially completely impact the deeper areas of teeth and betweenteeth, while having shorter brushes 35 impact the less deep, moreprominent portions of teeth. For example, the long crown bristles 34 ofadjacent brushes 26 a, 26 b may cover the interior depressed portion ofthe chewing or occlusial surface of the tooth, see e.g., tooth 56 inFIG. 4A, and the shorter crown bristles 35 (see FIGS. 3D and 3E) mayimpact the less deep extended tooth edges. Note the shorter bristles 35may also be at a discrete angle, e.g. angle .theta. in FIG. 3E, lesspronounced than that of the longer crown bristles 34 (crown bristles 34e.g., preferably, at something like about 5 to 20 degrees from thevertical, with the crown bristles 35 being less, from about 0 to 10).Here an angle a of about 14 or 15 degrees is shown. The shorter crownbristles 35 may thus be intended to impact and clean the higher,non-depressed, outer surfaces of the tooth. Moreover, it may be that theangle of the bristles on the crown portion 36 b of the respective brushhead 30 a, 30 b may be different, more or less than that of the sideportion 36 a bristles. Any combination of alternative angulardispositions may be used with the brushes of the present invention.

Other views of bristle dispositions are also shown, particularly of theside bristles 34, 35 in the isometric views of FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, aswell as in the respective cross-sectional elevation and plan depictionsof FIGS. 4B and 4C (as taken along respective lines 4B-4B and 4C-4C ofFIG. 4A). Moreover, these uneven bristles, i.e. long bristles 34 andshort bristles 35, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, provide bristle tipcoverage of the uneven side surfaces of the tooth. For example, see therespective long and short bristles 34, 35 on the uneven side surfaces ofFIG. 4A and on the uneven side surfaces of FIG. 4C. As indicated above,and as shown in FIG. 4A, these bristles may even be angled on theotherwise relatively flat crown or chewing surface of the tooth to getfull coverage of the tooth surface.

In the use of angled uneven length bristles 34, 35, the bristles mayfirst be brought into contact with the tooth, then movement of the brushand thus also of the bristles, thereby brings the different lengthbristles into contact with the various uneven portions of the toothsurface, at various points the long bristles are brought into contactwith deeper surfaces or interproximal areas between teeth or between atooth and gum, and the short bristles also at times being brought intocontact with the less deep, more prominent surfaces, the bristle tips inboth cases being brought to full, non-interfered-with usage on therespective surfaces of the teeth, the bristle tips rather than therespective sides of the bristles. The angled disposition assists bysubstantially simultaneously directing the bristle tips toward thesurface-to-be-cleaned and resisting bending of the bristle which wouldlead to the bristle side coming into contact with the tooth surfacerather than the bristle tip.

Also directed to a maximal bristle cleaning activity may be an option offlexible, resilient brush arms, e.g., arms 28 a, 28 b, 29 a and/or 29 b,which can contribute to the preferred maintenance of the tips of thelong and short bristles 34, 35 in contact with the respective deeper andshallower tooth portions by alternately flexing outwardly during anencounter with a wider tooth or shallower oral feature and then uponencountering a deeper or narrower feature, flexing or resiling inwardlyto reach inwardly toward the deeper surfaces and/or the narrower teeth.This may be a part of providing for disposing the brushes in apreselected optimal brushing position. And, even the trim of thebristles may contribute to this maintenance of a desired bristle angle.As such, the trim at the tips of the bristles may be angled to beparallel to the tooth surfaces (see each of the views of FIG. 3).Moreover, the short and long trim of the bristles, which as otherwisedescribed herein is primarily directed to reaching all the unevensurfaces of the teeth, including the interproximal areas, may alsocontribute to maximal cleaning because if all bristles were the samelength, then upon reaching a raised area, the bristles would bedeflected to present the sides of the bristles against the surfaces ofthe teeth and the sides of the bristles are not as capable of cleaningas the tips. Thus the bristle tips, as opposed to the bristle sides, arepreferred to remain on or in contact with the enamel, with the longbristles also being adapted to reach into the interproximal areaswithout interference or with minimal interference or obstruction of theshorter bristles by long bristle sides on enamel surface. Note, longtoothbrush heads, and/or overly voluminous bristle packing on a head canalso yield problems like this, where rather less bristles may be betterbecause the interference from adjacent bristles may be minimized. Ratheraccurate positioning (often very or ultra accurate positioning) ofbristles is favored in the present implementations as opposed to theprovision of an overabundance of bristles (such as is provided in someprior art brushes in an attempt or aspiration for hopefully some or anybristle(s) to hit the mark).

In some embodiments, in order to effectively substantially eliminatehuman error, the present brushes may provide a relative“self-positioning” of the brush arms, brush heads and bristles relativeto the teeth and gums. Self-positioning may involve disposition relativeto an oral feature such as a tooth or teeth and gums, and/or may involvein and out positioning as well as swiveling heads. The in and outpositioning may primarily be a result of resilient brush arms whichallow for spreading of the heads away from each other when encounteringa wide tooth and resiling back inwardly toward their original positionwhen narrower surfaces are encountered. The heads may also haveresilient characteristics, e.g. of the side relative to the crown andvice versa. The resilient arms and/or heads may thus provide for bitinginto the combination of brush heads, the resilience providing forapplying substantially continuous force for the brush heads tocontinually close in on or appropriately squeeze toward the teeth largeor small, spreading as necessary for the larger teeth. Note, theresiliency of the arms and/or heads may be selected so as to provide orapply a desirable, light yet operative pressure in the direction ofbristles (maintaining the desirable angle, e.g. 45 degrees for the sidebristles), not an overly aggressive or damaging force on the teethand/or gums. Spreading is shown in FIG. 5A where a pair of brush heads30 a, 30 b are shown as they might move outwardly (arrow 30 c),downwardly (arrow 30 d) or a combination of both (arrow 30 e). Notealso, this self-positioning particularly with resilient arms and/orheads may allow for smaller brushes to be used, where the user bitesdown and thereby moves the arms and gets a better fit around the tooth(a smaller brush perhaps also/alternatively being desirable due to thereduction of bristle volume and thus reduced bristle interference tomaximize bristle tip effectiveness).

A swiveling positioning may include such resiliency, allowing relativelyindependent twisting or rotation of one or the other or both of the armsupon encountering an obstruction. This is shown in FIG. 5B (rotationalarrows 30 f and 30 g). Moreover, as described in further detail below, aswivel positioning may include the swivel of the whole head assemblyright and/or left, and if two heads are used then the swivel may be ofboth heads substantially simultaneously, see clockwise rotation/swivel30 h in FIG. 5C. Rotation is available for each of the head assemblies26, 27 about the respective shafts 22 a, 22 b on and to which theassemblies are mounted. Self positioning of these sorts may thus providefor easily and substantially automatically obtaining and maintaining theBass position for teeth and for simplifying use in manipulation of thehandle 21 for the human user and reducing or eliminating human error.

In use with two or four wrap-around brushes, such as one or as shown,two brushes in the top brush assembly 26 for the top teeth and/or one ortwo in the bottom brush assembly 27 for the bottom teeth, the user maysimply bite into the brushing heads 26, 27, and self-positioning may besubstantially automatic as the brushes position themselves or areotherwise positioned to substantially correctly contact tooth and gumsurfaces (see FIGS. 4 and 5), any deviation accounted for by theresilient arms and/or the swiveling heads (see FIG. 5, e.g.). Thus, thebrushes can achieve the ADA recommended Bass technique placement ofbristles on teeth and gums, with the side contacts being atapproximately a 45 degree angle (see FIG. 4A) or otherwise as may bedesired. Each brush unit 26, 27, e.g., may have user specificdimensions, or may, due to the self-positioning described here, be fitfor use in any user's mouth for bristle contact of every to-be-cleanedsurface of the user's teeth and gums and may provide interproximal,gingival and/or sub-gingival contact while assuring that the brushingaction does not include an overly aggressive bristle force. Suchself-positioning may be achieved substantially automatically with orwithout the user's knowledge, understanding or active participation.

Another part of the ADA Bass techniques recommendation is to reciprocatethe brushes in short/quick, back and forth strokes while applying lightpressure in the direction of bristles. Accordingly, the device 20 hereofcan, and in many preferred embodiments will be adapted to provide adefined stroke that imparts an alternating brushing, as shown in FIG.4B, for example, with a first stroke 53 in a first direction with areturn in the opposite direction, and preferably here, one brushassembly, e.g., assembly 26 moving in the first direction 53 while asecond brush head, e.g., assembly 27 is moving with a second stroke 54in the other direction. The alternating stroke (out-to-in of oneassembly simultaneously with in-to-out of the other assembly) isdesirable for a variety of reasons, these reasons and exemplarsub-assemblies adapted to provide such strokes are described furtherbelow. It has been found that approximately 750-850 strokes per minutemay provide the most effective results. Such speeds can be highlydesirable, particularly as the strokes provide enough time for thebristles and particularly the bristle tips to react resiliently to movefrom one location to another and then have their bristle tips strike atdebris trapped in a space, e.g., interproximal space 55 between theteeth, see e.g., teeth 56, 57 (FIGS. 4B and 4C) which debris might thenbe trapped at or near the mid point and thereby loosen the debris moreefficiently with a back and forth action so that the debris may becleared therefrom. Slower speeds such as these (750-850 strokes perminute as opposed to 3 to 30 thousand (3-30 k) strokes per minute ofsome conventional power brushes, e.g., so-called sonic brushes) are alsomore gentle, providing massage-like contact as opposed to dentaldrill-like, high-impact speeds.

Note also, in some embodiments, it may further be desirable tooptionally though not necessarily include use of a dentifrice, toothpaste, flavor concentrate etc. To do this, the dentifrice may bedelivered with, i.e., added to the brush or brush bristles insubstantially conventional fashion and thus move with the brushes intothe user's mouth and thereby be applied to the teeth and/or gums.

The respective brush assemblies 26, 27 introduced above, may be unitaryappliances, or may as shown in FIG. 6, be respective assemblies of oneor more brushes, as for example the brushes 26 a and 26 b of FIG. 6 (seethe individually-depicted brush 26 b of FIG. 6A and the respectivecombinations of brushes 26 a and 26 b of FIGS. 6B and 6C). Each of thesebrushes may in turn, also as shown and described above, each includearms 28 a, 28 b and heads 30 a, 30 b. Note, as identified in FIG. 6A, itmay be desirable to include a relief, reduction and/or other curvaturefeature 38 in the arm(s) 28 to avoid undesirable impact of an arm 28on/with the teeth in use. The heads 30 a, 30 b may also have respectivehead portions 36 a, 36 b (side, crown) (see also FIG. 3) with respectivedrill holes 37 a, 37 b (side, crown) to receive respective tufts 32 a,32 b (side, crown) of bristles 34, 35 (tufts 32 a, 32 b shown andidentified in FIGS. 3B and 3C).

The respective brush assemblies 26, 27 may also include respective brushbases 40 (see the assembled base 40 in FIG. 3A as well as the partedcomponents of bases 40 in FIGS. 6B and 6C) for connection of therespective brushes together, and/or for connection of the brushassemblies to the control handle 21 and/or shafts 22. The bases 40 maybe initially separate devices or may as shown in FIG. 6 be separateportions 40 a, 40 b and 40 c formed as separate parts, portions 40 a and40 b formed as integral parts of the respective brushes 26 a and 26 band portion 40 c as a separate base piece. A variety of connectionfeatures 41 (e.g., posts and/or receiving holes therefor) may beincluded within the various portions 40 a, 40 b and 40 c to provide forthe connection of the portions 40 a, 40 b and 40 c together. Theseportions may then be connected by snap fit, snug fit, friction fit orwelded, e.g. sonically-welded, or glued or otherwise adhesively orcohesively or otherwise put and held together.

As shown in FIGS. 6C, 6D and 6E, a push-button device 42 may be includedwithin the base 40 within its own slot 141 defined in one or more of thebase portions 40 a, 40 b and 40 c. The push button 42 may preferably bespring-loaded counter the release direction, as by a spring 43 (shownschematically in FIG. 6F) adapted to be disposed in a spring feature 143in the base 40. The push button device 42 may have a push button surface142 a to be disposed outside the base 40 and connected hereto, aninternal structure 142 c with a cutout feature or ring 142 b here shownas a sort of elliptical cutout. As shown in FIG. 6F, the push buttondevice 42 is engagable with the quill end 122 of a shaft 22, e.g. shaft22 a (see FIGS. 7A and 7B). The quill end 122 may have a slot or notch123 with inner and outer diameters 123 id and 123 od (FIG. 6F) whichtogether define the slot. Engagement as shown in FIG. 6F may then be hadwhen the edge of the cutout feature 142 b clips into the slot 123, andthe spring 43 resiles back in the direction 144 under its spring force.

Disengagement of the quill end slot 123 from the cutout feature 142 bmay be effected by pushing on the push-button surface 142 a in thedirection 145 against the bias of the spring 43 which then allows forthe outer diameter 123 od to enter and move through the cutout feature142 b thereby allowing for removal of housing 40 and brush assembly 26(or 27) from the shaft 22. Opposite engagement may be had by pushing thehousing 40 onto the shaft 22 such that the quill end thereof enters thecutout feature 142 b and the ramp surface 122 r of the quill end engagesthe cutout feature and causes movement thereof against the bias of andcompressing or otherwise deforming the spring 43 as the edge of thecutout feature rides along the incline of the ramp until the slot 123 isreached at which point the spring 43 pushes back against the push-buttondevice 42 b to engage the edge of the cutout feature with the slot asshown in FIG. 6F.

The tooth brush assemblies 26, 27 may thus be removably mountable on theshafts 22 and thereby replaceable if and/or as they may be spent, or theassemblies 26, 27 may be interchangeable so that each of a plurality ofusers may each also have his/her own brush heads for sanitary reasons.Alternative cleaning head assemblies (see FIG. 10, or others not shown)may be interchangeably used herewith as well. Or, different sizes may bemade available (for plural or singular users), e.g., smaller brushes canprovide a better fit around particular teeth, or for particular users,smaller brushes perhaps being more comfortable as well, and/or providingfewer bristles and thus reduce bristle interference.

Moving shafts for moving the cleaning heads 26, 27 will now bedescribed. For example, in FIGS. 2 and 7 (including FIGS. 7A, 7B and7C), are depictions of isometric cut-away views of alternative handles21 of exemplary units 20 which each provide for moving one or morecleaning assemblies 26, 27 on respective shafts 22 a, 22 b of aconnection assembly 25. More particularly, the structural shafts 22 a,22 b may be disposed in reciprocal motive disposition in and emanatingfrom the control handle 21. Note, the shafts 22 a, 22 b may berelatively integral or contiguous with or otherwise as shown anddescribed above, may be connectable with brush assemblies 26, 27.

Inside the control handle 21 may be one or more control assemblies 24which may include conventional or unconventional reciprocation hardware.As a first example, a direct current (DC) motor 44 may be included toprovide primary power to reciprocate the brush head assemblies 26, 27.The motor 44 may activate a mechanical system 45 such as a system ofgears, to ultimately move the cleaning head assemblies 26, 27. Thesystem 45 may be a double reciprocal/opposing movement like thatdescribed and shown in FIGS. 2 and 7 which may include mechanisms like acrown gear 208 connected by a shaft to a reduction spur gear 209 whichcommunicates in gear meshing relationship with a double cam gear 203(see FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C). The DC motor 44 is adapted to directly turn apinion gear 210 which in turn, turns the crown gear 208 and thence gear209 is turned and turns the double cam gear 203. The gear 203 hasrespective cams 204, 205 one each on opposite sides of the gear 203 (seeFIGS. 7 and 8 (8A, 8B and 8C)). The upper cam 204, the double cam gear203, and lower cam 205 may be separate parts or may all be combined asone piece. Structural shafts/arms 22 a and 22 b may be attached to camfollowers 206, 207 (FIG. 8). The double-cam big gear 203 which may thusby contact move the two cam followers 206, 207 to move in and out theshafts 22 a, 22 b relative to the power handle 21. Thus, this causes thestructural shafts 22 a, 22 b to reciprocate in opposing directions andthereby provide for alternating dispositions of the heads 26, 27, thepositions and directions being substantially and reversibly inopposition such that at one moment, the heads are as shown, and thenthey may be reciprocated such that they switch relative positions insidethe mouth. FIGS. 7A and 7B show one position where the shaft 22 a isfurther retracted within the handle 21 while the other shaft 22 b isextended. A switched position is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 where the uppershaft 22 a is extended and the other shaft 22 b is retracted. The shafts22 thereby further provide this reciprocatable linear movement to thebrush head assemblies 26, 27 to alternately move into and out of theoral cavity in order to desirably clean the teeth and/or gums.

Note, the two top heads 30 a, 30 b on the brush assembly 26 may as shownpreferably be reciprocated together and the other, lower two heads 31 a,31 b of the brush assembly 27 may be reciprocated together in opposedrelationship to the upper heads. In many cases with devices 20 it willbe preferable to provide such alternate reciprocal moving partembodiments having respective opposing parts moving contrary to eachother to provide balance to the overall device. In any two opposed brushorientations, the opposing brushes may be moving substantiallysimultaneously in opposite directions, one out while the other is movingin and vice versa. Reciprocation of top and bottom and reciprocation inopposite directions provides substantially simultaneous action andreaction in and out, and this force action and reaction cancels eachother out so that net motive force on the handle 21 is substantiallyzero and the handle 21 thereby remains stationary. The mechanical forcecounterforce, i.e., the force(s) tending to push the brush heads furtherin, or out of the mouth simultaneously provide at least a reduction ofthe overall forces felt by the user who may then be able to operate thedevice simply by and through the use of a simple/minimal grasp of thehandle 21 with the thumb and forefinger. This overall action/reactionmay also provide a further advantage in the self-positioning describedabove, overcoming the reciprocal brushing action to allow the brush headand bristle design to achieve and maintain the desirable self-position(FIGS. 4 and 5) unforced away therefrom by the motor drivenreciprocation. Also in these and/or other two or four (or more) brushembodiments, though at least two such brushes may move together, it mayremain preferable to have contrary alternating movements whether forrelative top and bottom movements or for contrary side versus sidemovements.

As mentioned above, the device 20 can provide alternating brushing,with, as shown in FIG. 4B, a first stroke 53 in a first direction with asecond stroke 54 in the other direction. And, approximately 750-850strokes per minute may provide the most effective results. Suchalternating stroke speeds can be highly desirable as the strokes mayhave enough time for the bristles to react resiliently to move from onelocation to another and then strike at debris trapped in a space, e.g.,interproximal space 55 between the teeth, see e.g., teeth 56, 57 (FIGS.4B and 4C) which debris might then be trapped at or near the mid pointand thereby loosen the debris more efficiently with a back and forthaction so that the debris may be cleared therefrom. Slower speeds suchas these (750-850 strokes per minute as opposed to 3 to 30 thousand(3-30 k) strokes per minute of some conventional power brushes, e.g.,so-called sonic brushes) are also more gentle, providing massage-likecontact as opposed to dental drill-like, high-impact speeds. Note, manyother conventional power brushes boast high speeds, often spinningactions of 4,000 rpm and more, speeds that can create a feeling ofdiscomfort. The slower speeds preferred here, on the other hand, rely onaccurate bristle positioning to obtain effectiveness, and as a result,the brushes can reciprocate at a fraction of the speed of otherproducts, resulting in user enjoyment of a comfortable massage withevery use. Note, multiple or multi-speed options may alternatively bemade available in these or other ranges of strokes per minute. In manycases, one speed is acceptable, but optionally one or more slower speedscan be offered particularly for beginners to become accustomed to theaction. Faster speeds may also be offered.

An assembly such as this may be adequate for twin cooperative goals ofefficaciously brushing the occlusial and lingual-bucal surfaces of theteeth and gums (including gaps between such surfaces and/or between theteeth and gums) while also simultaneously brushing the aforementionedsurfaces and also the underlying gums. An aspect hereof may thus be theprovision of an improved powered toothbrush for simultaneouslyefficaciously brushing the occlusial and the lingual bucal surfacesincluding any gaps therebetween while simultaneously beneficiallybrushing the teeth surfaces and also the underlying teeth/gums, thelatter benefit representing therapeutical prevention of periodontalproblems.

Note, shown in FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of a system 20including a brush control module 21 with a power unit 46 and a powercable or 47 connected therebetween for plugging into a wall socket, foran example. The control handle 21 may either be hardwire connected ormay more preferably be rechargeable (e.g., rechargeable batteries orinduction charging mechanism(s), not shown) and thus operated without apower cable 47 and external power source 46. A remote charger orinduction charging unit would then be used, and in such a case therepresentation in FIG. 9A could be indicative of the disconnectableconnection for recharging. In some embodiments on this scale, arecharger may provide a multiplicity of operations, as for example up to50 times, or up to a month, e.g.

Other repowering connections may also be had, as for example, includingnon-rechargeable, but replaceable batteries or where the recharger isbuilt into the handle 21 or involves a table top recharging stand 48 forplacement of the handle 21 therein as illustrated generally in oneexemplar implementation of FIG. 9B, such being adapted to rest oncounter-top or other surfaces. Also shown in FIG. 9B are several brushcases 49 a for holding, temporarily, brush assemblies 26, 27 to beconnected to a handle 21. A further alternative handle case 49 b (topnot shown) is shown in FIG. 9C, in which a handle 21 may be made to restor otherwise be disposed in an storage location, as for example,horizontally on the counter, in a drawer or on a shelf; or, which may beadapted for portability, i.e., to carry the handle 21 thus making thedevice travel friendly (particularly with such devices having longre-charge options (e.g., 50 uses or a month's amount of uses)). Each ofthe cases 49 a, 49 b may preferably include air and/or drainage holes toallow breathing/drying and/or drainage of water away after use.

An alternative embodiment, see FIG. 10 (including FIGS. 10A, 10B, 10Cand 10D), may include alternative sub-assemblies 226, 227 includingtriple toothbrushes, see e.g., brushes 226 a, 226 b, 226 c and 227 a,227 b and 227 c. Exemplary tripartite or other brush assemblies for usein alternative embodiments like those shown here may also alternativelybe like those disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/357,564 filed Feb. 5, 2003, and in PCT application PCT/US2003/017601,Publication No. WO03101365 (A1), both by at least one of the sameinventor(s) as the present case. The disclosures of those applicationsare hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth here.More particularly, in this first alternative example, shown in FIGS. 10Athrough 10D, a brush device 20 may include a handle 21 as above, withone or more forwardly positioned brushing assembly(ies) 226, 227 forbrushing lingual and bucal surfaces and occlussial surfaces of a row ofteeth. Brushes like these tripartite brush assemblies 226, 227 can beused for brushing insides, outsides and topsides or crowns of the teethsubstantially simultaneously, and may also be used to position thebrushes in operative position and guide the brushes throughout the oralcavity for efficient usage. In this and various of the other toothbrushexamples usable herein/herewith, as for example with the currentlydescribed tripartite brushheads 226, 227, these may be adapted toreceive one or more teeth securely therein, and thereby position thedevice 20 such that the brushes 226 a, 226 b, 226 c and 227 a, 227 b and227 c may be very advantageously aimed at the teeth and/or gums instrategic position to provide maximal cleaning. An angle of suchcleaning may be such as to point the bristles at the gum line assuggested by various drawing figures herein, as in the particularexamples of FIGS. 10A and 10C.

The brush combinations are optional, and/or interchangeable. Atripartite assembly 226 for example could include optionally one or morelaterally spaced heads 226 a, 226 b and could further include a crownbrush 226 c. Similarly, a lower tripartite assembly 227 could include acrown brush 227 c (this could be a sole brush, see e.g., brush 327 inFIG. 11, described below), and/or may optionally include lateral heads227 a, 227 b. In such embodiments, the brush head assemblies couldprovide secure top to bottom and/or lateral, side to side positioning ofthe cleaning assembly(ies) 226 and/or 227 inside a user's mouth. All theuser would need to do is bite down into the brush head assembly(ies),and thereby have the brushes adequately and potentially very accuratelypositioned for maximal cleaning. Moreover, here also, in order toeffectively eliminate human error, these tripartite brushes may also“self-position” relative to the teeth and gums. As such, the six (6)brushes in the FIG. 10 implementation are pre-positioned to correctlycontact tooth and gum surfaces. The user simply bites into the brushinghead, and self-positioning is automatically provided in accordance withthe ADA recommended Bass technique, placing a desirable proportion ofbristles (e.g., one half (½)) on the teeth and another proportion ofbristle tips (e.g., another one half (½)) on the gums at approximately a45 degree angle. Note, positioning the brushes properly may begenerically referred to using a guide means, here the arrangement of oneor more brushes, which themselves lock around the teeth and correctlyposition the bristles. And, as above, the position of the brushes 226a-c and/or 227 a-c here may also use/rely on the resilient spreadingand/or squeezing movement of the respective heads 230 a, 230 b, 230 c,231 a, 231 b and/or 231 c, that are connected by six respectiveresilient arms 228 a, 228 b, 228 c, 229 a, 229 b and 229 c to respectivebases 240, and are connected by shafts/extensions 22 a, 22 b to handle21 (see FIG. 10B, e.g.).

Furthermore, although uneven bristle groups 234, 235 are not necessarilyshown in FIGS. 10A-10C, such groups are indicated in FIG. 10D tohighlight the optionality hereof as they may, even with tripartitebrushes, provide desirable bristle tip coverage of the uneven surfacesof the tooth, as for example on the uneven chewing surface and theuneven side surfaces of FIG. 4. Note also for this or any uneven bristleembodiment (described here or otherwise), the building or manufacture ofshort and long bristles in one brush can be a more complicated processthan many conventional brush processes, by including multiple steps, asin: planting a first set of short bristles, then, trimming those shortbristles to the desired point, and then planting the long bristles andfinally trimming the long bristles to size.

The respective brush head assembly(ies) 226, 227 can also as describedabove, be detachably attached to the end of the respective structuralbrush shafts 22 a, 22 b. Detachability may be effected through use ofdepressible button 242 which can release a spring catch (not shownhere), and the respective brush head 226 (and/or 227) can then beremoved or pulled therefrom. A similar disposition and action may be hadwith the brushes (if so desired) and the corresponding structuralshafts. In some embodiments, the brush head(s) may be installed ontocorresponding shafts, until they go on to a point at which the button“snaps” and locks the brush head in relation to the respectivestructural shaft.

And, yet again as above, the brushes may be reciprocated in shortstrokes in accordance with ADA recommended Bass technique, brushing witha short/quick back and forth action(s). As such, the control handle 21may in many embodiments be provided with powering means (see e.g., FIGS.7, 8 and 9) for providing reciprocating longitudinal movement inalternating synchronization of the tripartite brushing head assemblies226, 227. The upper brush head and lower brush head may preferably bemade to move in opposite directions, i.e., when the upper brush head 226is moving inward, the lower brush head 227 is moving outward. This isdesirable in many embodiments because when a user bites into the upperand lower brush heads at the same time, the opposing reciprocatablemovement can provide a “balance”; e.g., balance of forces, so that thepower handle does not tend to move in and out, or otherwise, as a resultof the forced movement and/or contact with both the upper and lowerbrush head simultaneously. The user then may easily hold the device 20without manual exertion, dexterity or otherwise other than to positionthe device relative to the mouth.

In general, brush head assemblies could include one or more brush heads.In one further alternative, for example, a singular brush head (notdirectly shown) could be used. Alternatively or in addition thereto, oneor more or an arrangement of brush heads could be disposed for brushingthe sides of the teeth and/or the crowns of the teeth. Examples of sucharrangements include those brush assemblies 326 and/or 327 shown in FIG.11. In this way, either a combination of lateral brushes 326 a, 326 bcan be used on the top teeth (or bottom) while an independent brush 327may be used on the bottom (or top) teeth. Or one of these brushes 326,327 or other combinations of brushes could be used independently of theother set of brushes to provide controlled brushing action for top andbottom teeth but on only one side (top, bottom, inside or outside) or onthe crowns/chewing surfaces, as desired at a time. Alternation may thenbe available from a first side to the other side, or top to bottom, etc.as desired. As introduced above, positioning the brushes properly may beprovided by a guide means which might be provided by the one or morebrushes themselves wherein these lock around the teeth through theresiliency of the brush heads and/or arms to correctly position thebristles at the appropriate angles and locations adjacent the teethand/or gums. Such action may here as well be provided by or receiveassistance from a set of resilient arms, e.g., arms 328 a, 328 b and/or329 spreading or squeezing a set of one or more brush heads, e.g.,brushes 330 a or 330 b, or 331. Also as before, the opposing brushes canbe moved in an alternating brushing action to provide a desirable forcebalance.

In another, single brush alternative, the single brush may have at leastone set of side bristles together with a set of crown bristles, thesingle brush having a resilient head and/or arm to allow forself-positioning of the respective bristles relative to an oral cavityfeature such as a tooth, gum or intersection therebetween. Such a singlebrush may moreover have two opposing side sets of bristles with orwithout crown bristles and may have internal head and/or arm resiliencyto provide for self-positioning of the respective bristles relative toan oral cavity feature.

From the foregoing, it is readily apparent that new and usefulembodiments of the present invention have been herein described andillustrated which fulfill numerous desiderata in remarkably unexpectedfashions. An assembly such as any of these described herein may beadequate for twin cooperative goals of efficaciously brushing theocclusial and lingual-bucal surfaces, including gaps therebetween, whilealso simultaneously brushing the aforementioned surfaces and also theunderlying teeth and gums thereby providing therapeutical preventionand/or treatment of periodontal problems. It is, of course, understoodthat such modifications, alterations and adaptations as may readilyoccur to the artisan confronted with this disclosure are intended withinthe spirit of this disclosure which is limited only by the scope of theclaims appended hereto.

1. An oral cleansing device comprising: a handle including: a housingstructure; at least one control assembly disposed within the housingstructure; and, a connection shaft assembly including at least an uppershaft and a lower shaft stemming from the housing structure; and, atleast one brush assembly adapted to be connected to the connection shaftassembly of the handle; whereby the at least one control assemblyincludes a mechanical system to move the at least one brush assembly;the mechanical system including: a crown gear connected by a gear shaftto a reduction spur gear; a double cam gear which communicates in gearmeshing relationship with the reduction spur gear; the reduction spurgear being adapted to drive the double cam gear; the double cam gearhaving respective upper and lower cams, one each on opposite sides ofthe double cam gear; upper and lower cam followers each disposed inrespective operative contact with the respective upper and lower cams ofthe double cam gear, the double-cam gear by contact through therespective upper and lower cams, being adapted to move the two camfollowers in a linear fashion; the upper and lower shafts of theconnection shaft assembly each being respectively attached to therespective upper and lower cam followers, the upper and lower shaftsthus being adapted to move with the respective upper and lower camfollowers and thereby also move the at least one brush assemblytherewith in a linearly straight fashion.
 2. An oral cleansing deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the at least one brush assembly includesfirst and second brushes, the first and second brushes each includingrespective first and second resilient arms adapted to be connected tothe connection configuration, the first and second resilient arms eachrespectively having first and second brush heads connected thereto;whereby the first and second brushes are operatively disposed such thatthe first and second brush heads are disposed in generally opposingrelationship to each other; whereby the first and second brush headseach have respective crown portions and respective side portions.
 3. Anoral cleansing device according to claim 1 wherein the at least onebrush assembly includes upper and lower brush assemblies and the shaftsreciprocate in and out and thereby provide for alternating reciprocationof the upper and lower brush assemblies.
 4. An oral cleansing deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein the at least one brush assembly includesupper and lower brush assemblies and the shafts reciprocate in opposingdirections and thereby provide for alternating reciprocation of theupper and lower brush assemblies.
 5. An oral cleansing device accordingto claim 1 wherein the at least one brush assembly includes upper andlower brush assemblies and the shafts reciprocate in opposing directionsand thereby provide for alternating reciprocation of the upper and lowerbrush assemblies, whereby the alternating reciprocation provides balanceto the overall device.
 6. An oral cleansing device according to claim 1wherein the at least one brush assembly includes upper and lower brushassemblies and the upper and lower brush assemblies each include twoheads and the shafts reciprocate and thereby provide for alternatingreciprocations of the upper and lower brush assemblies.
 7. An oralcleansing device according to claim 1 further including a motor, themotor adapted to provide primary power to reciprocate the at least onebrush head assembly.
 8. An oral cleansing device according to claim 1further including a motor, the motor adapted to provide primary power toreciprocate the at least one brush head assembly; the motor having apinion gear in communication with the crown gear; whereby the motor isadapted to directly turn the pinion gear which in turn, turns the crowngear which turns the reduction spur gear to turn the double cam gear. 9.An oral cleansing system comprising: an oral brush device having: ahandle including: a housing structure; a linearly movable connectionstructure stemming from the housing structure; and, at least one controlassembly disposed within the housing structure; the at least one controlassembly including a power-driven sub-assembly, the power-drivensub-assembly providing movement for the movable connection structure; apower assembly; the power assembly being adapted to be connected to thepower-driven sub-assembly of the at least one control assembly; and, atleast one brush assembly adapted to be detachably attachable to themovable connection structure of the handle; whereby the at least onebrush assembly includes at least one brush having at least oneresilient, deformably elastic arm adapted to be connected to theconnection structure, the at least one resilient, deformably elastic armhaving a resilient brush head connected thereto, the at least one brushhead having at least one first set of side bristles and at least one ofan opposing set of side bristles and a set of crown bristles; wherebythe first set of side bristles and the one or both of the opposing setof side bristles and a set of crown bristles are operatively disposedsuch that the first and second brush heads are adapted to be deformablyyet elastically self-positioning in relation to an oral feature.
 10. Asystem according to claim 9 wherein the power assembly is an electricalassembly.
 11. A system according to claim 9 wherein the power assemblyis an electrical adaptor connected to the power-driven sub-assembly. 12.A system according to claim 9 wherein the power assembly includes one ormore rechargeable batteries disposed within the handle and an electricalre-charger assembly which is adapted to be disconnectably connected tothe one or more rechargeable batteries.
 13. A system according to claim9 wherein the power-driven sub-assembly includes an electrical motor.14. A system according to claim 9 wherein the power-driven sub-assemblyincludes an electrical motor connected to a mechanical gear system, themechanical gear system being connected to the connection structure. 15.A system according to claim 9 wherein the at least one brush assemblyincludes a push-button catch element to detachably attach the at leastone brush assembly to the movable connection structure.
 16. A method forcleansing an oral cavity feature comprising: taking hold of the handleof a power-driven oral cleansing device having a brush head assemblyconnected by a movable connection structure to the handle; biting intothe brush head assembly to surround the oral feature with brushbristles; powering the power-driven oral cleansing device to move theconnection structure and the brush head assembly with linear brushingstrokes.
 17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the oral feature isone or any combination of a tooth, a plurality of teeth, a gum or aplurality of gums, or one or more gum line intersections of a tooth orteeth and gums.
 18. A method according to claim 16 whereby the brushhead assembly includes at least one brush having at least one resilient,deformably elastic arm adapted to be connected to the movable connectionstructure, the at least one resilient, deformably elastic arm having aresilient brush head connected thereto, the at least one brush headhaving at least one first set of side bristles and at least one of anopposing set of side bristles and a set of crown bristles; and wherebythe first set of side bristles and the one or both of the opposing setof side bristles and a set of crown bristles are operatively disposedsuch that the first and second brush heads are adapted to beself-positioning in relation to an oral feature.
 19. A method accordingto claim 16 whereby the brush head assembly is adapted to be detachablyattachable to the movable connection structure of the handle.
 20. Amethod according to claim 16 in which the brush head assembly includesrespective first and second brush assemblies and in which the connectionstructure includes first and second movable connection structures beingconnected with the respective first and second brush assemblies; thefirst and second movable connection structures being adapted to move therespective first and second brush assemblies relative to the oralfeature in simultaneous alternating manner to provide a force balance.